---
title: Best Practices for Status Pages
---


```
+------------------------------------------------+
|               openstatus Status Page           |
+------------------------------------------------+
| Service Name      | Status | Uptime            |
+-------------------+--------+-------------------+
| Web Server        | ✅ OK       | 99.9%        |
| Database          | ✅ OK       | 99.8%        |
| API Gateway       | ⚠️ Degraded | 99.5%        |
| Monitoring        | ✅ OK       | 100%         |
| Payment Processing| ✅ OK       | 99.7%        |
+-------------------+--------+-------------------+
| Incidents:                                     |
|                                                |
|   - Degraded performance on API Gateway due    |
|     to high traffic. Our team is investigating.|
+------------------------------------------------+
```

Status pages are essential tools for communicating service health and incidents to users. They build trust by providing transparency and should be a core component of any software company's communication strategy. Following a set of best practices ensures your status page is effective and helpful.




## Best Practices for a Status Page

###  Maintain Transparency and Honesty

A status page's primary goal is to be a single source of truth. Be upfront about issues, even minor ones. Hiding problems erodes user trust and can lead to more support requests.

- **Communicate Clearly:** Use simple, non-technical language. Users shouldn't need a dictionary to understand what's happening.

- **Be Timely:** Update the page as soon as an incident is confirmed and provide regular updates throughout the resolution process.

### Automate Where Possible

Manual updates during an outage are prone to error and can be slow. Automating your status page can provide more accurate and timely information.

- **Integrate Monitoring Tools:** Connect your internal monitoring and alerting systems to your status page. When a metric crosses a threshold (e.g., high error rate), the status page can automatically be updated.

- **Use an API:** we provide APIs that allow you to programmatically update component statuses and post new incidents.


### Provide Detailed Incident Communication

When an incident occurs, provide a detailed and structured narrative.

- **Start with the "What":** State the problem clearly and concisely.

- **Follow with the "Why":** Briefly explain the root cause, if known.

- **Conclude with the "How" and "When":** Explain the steps being taken to resolve the issue and provide an estimated time to resolution.

**Example Incident Update:**

- **Investigating:** "We're currently investigating an issue affecting user logins."

- **Identified:** "We've identified the root cause as a database connection issue and are working on a fix."

- **Monitoring:** "A fix has been deployed, and we're monitoring the system's performance."

- **Resolved:** "The issue has been resolved, and all services are now operational."


### Make it Easily Accessible

Your status page should be easy to find.

- **Prominent Link:** Place a link to your status page in your application's footer, on your website, and in your support documentation.

- **Custom Domain:** Use a simple, memorable URL like status.yourcompany.com.


Following these practices turns your status page from a passive communication tool into an active driver of customer trust and confidence.
